Sheet-metal box.



G. KLENK.

SHEET METAL BOX. APPLICATION -FILED APR. n. 1911. RENEWED FEB. 1311912.

1,240,224., Patented Sept. 18, 1917.

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SHEET METAL BOX. APPLICATION HLED APR. I7. 1911- RENEWED FEB- $1917.

1,240,224. Patented Sept. 18, 1917.

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v1 11a; F172: .193 11%] w vbneooeo 61 Hoa /mu commune KLENK, or DEFIANCE, OHIO, Assreivoa'ro THE DEFIANCE rans'snn STEEL COMPANY, A CORPORATION or OHIO.

SHEET-METAL BOX.

Specification or Letters Patent. Patgn'ted Sept 18, 1917;

Application filed April 17, 1911, Serial No. 621,683. Renewed February 13, 1917. Serial No. 148,416.

I '0 all whom it may concern:

Be 1t known that I, GOTTLIEB KLENK, a

.citiZen of the United States, residin' at seamed together, these crimped or bent seams being the only fastening deviceswhich are provided at the corners. I

I have heretofore designed and have established as a largely used commodity sheet metal boxes so constructed and arranged at their, tops and at their bottoms that the bottom part of one could rest upon the top part of the next and could interlock therewith so that it was not only providedwith firm vertical support, but was held against lateral displacement. This was attained by'having near the upper edges of the side and end walls an inwardly projecting flange, and directly at the said upper edges a series of sheet metal beads and a bracing wire therein,

' and forming the bottom so as to have an insetand downwardly projecting basepart, together with an outwardly projecting horizontally arranged flange extending around the lower edgesof the side and end walls. When the boxes are stacked one upon another, the downwardly'projecting base part of one can rest more or less upon the aforesaid inwardly projecting flange near the upper edge of another,while at the'same time the outwardly extending flange at the bottom of one can rest upon the bead and wire at the top edges of the other.

, But it has been observed that the boxes,

/ r with the weight of their contents, have a tendency, whenthus. stacked one upon another, to severely strain the corner parts andbulge or force their seamed edges out of the firm union that is required; and also that the flanges (one at the upper part of the box projecting inward, and one at the lower edges projecting outward) are apt to be distorted under the severe strains to which they are subjected.

The present invention relates to devices for overcoming all of these objections and producting a box of greatly increased strength and durability in comparison with those that have been heretofore made.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a box embodying my improvement.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view.

. Fig. 3 is a sectionalperspective view.

Fig. 4: is a longitudinal section on the line 4% of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a cross section on the line 55 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on the line I 65-45 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation partly broken away. j

Fig. 8 is a face'view of a sheet metal blank from which can be made one of the interior corner reinforces.

Fig. 9 shows the. same after it has been notched or cut.

V Fig. 10 shows it after it has been crimped to produce a reinforcing and supporting horizontal flange.

Fig. 11 shows a sheet metal blank for producing a modifiedv interior corner reinforce.

Fig. 12 shows the same after it has been crimped and bent.

As above remarked the box is made of sections of sheet metal, 2, 2 indicating the side walls, and 3, 3 the end walls. The side sections and the end sections are crimped together to form the corner seams or flanges 4: which may be of the usual character. To them'are incident the objections above referred to and these are obviated by the de vices to be described. I Near the upper edge of each end section and each side section there is a bead 5 which is so related in position as to extend outward from the vertical plane of the side walls and end walls, 6 is a bead'rod or wire fitted in the beads 5 and extending around the top of thebox. Beyond this bead the edge part of the sheet is turned vertically downward as at 2?, 3*, their inward as at 2", 3 and then outward as at 2, 3. The parts 2 and 2 and 3 and3 lie in the same horizontal planes and consti- Y place by beads 8 and 9 formed upon bracing and carrying strips 8, 9, the outer edges of' which are crimped with the metal of the end walls and side walls to form the aforesaid flanges 7 V The distance between the lowermost plane of this supporting base, indicated as an entirety by'12 fromthe lowermost plane of the flange at 7 is substantially equal to the distance from the top olaneof'the flanges 2 3 to the top plane of the beads 5. When the boxes are stacked one upon another, the base support 12 rests more or less upon the flanges 2", 3 at'the top of the box below. And at the same time the flange at 7 rests upon the top of the beading at'5 of the lower box. The pressure downward upon the beading at 5, '6 is often-so severe as to twist and distortit or, vice versa, to bend out of shape the flange part at 7 this being accompanied or caused by a corresponding crushing or distorting action at the corner seam or crimp 4;.

To obviate these I employ a pillar-like brace, indicated as a whole-by 13, to be more fully referred to.

At the same time, experience shows that the bottom or base element, represented as a whole by 12*, of one box tends (particw' pillar-like bracing element, indicated as a Whole by 14.

The brace or pillar 13 is formed'of a strip of sheet metal ofsuflicient width to provide two plates 13 which are brought to right angles to e'ach'other, and also a loop or fold 13f which in'closes the corner crimp or seam 4 and furnishes a strong corner pillar. The plate parts 13, 13* and the pillar 13 are 'fitted snugly and tightly under the bead 5 "overcome "under all ordinary circumstances.

Then to prevent disastrous results from the base part 12 of one box striking or bearing sever'el'y'downward upon the flange parts quired number. These corner reinforces can 2 3 of a lower box, I place on the interior faces of t-heside walls and end walls at each corner the pillar-hke reinforce above referred to and indicated by 11. This may be also formed of a comparatively narrow sheet or strip of metal bent to have the plate parts 14 at right angles to each other. It is fittedtightly against the under faces of the flanges at 2 2 and 3*, 3, and also tightly against the bottom of the box 'or' an abutment at that place. The-outer pillar or reinforce 13 and the inner one 14 are solidly united to the sheet metal of the sides and the ends by means of rivets 15 of any rebe made as shown in Figs. 11 and 12. The

blank is cut as shown in Fig. 11 and then crimped or bent to form a horizontal flange part 16, and then bent along the central longitudinal line so as to bring the halves of the piece at substantially right angles to each other, as in Fig. 12. In some cases, however, I prefer to make'this part 14 in two pieces of metal which can be understood as indicated byl l' 11, and crimp or bend each of them, as shown at 16 for the purpose of forming an inwardly extending flange on each, these flanges abutting together at the corner line 16 In this case not only is there a bracing eflected against the forcing of the two adjacent walls together at the corner, but a rest or shelf like device is provided upon which can be supported the retainer that is frequently used for holding the necks of the holding the bottles as entireties,in place.

VVhen'such a retainer is'employeda fastener, such'as indicatedfby 17, can be used of any well known form.

The inside reinforces 11,11are arranged as nearly as possible in the vertical linesof the beads 8 and 9 and the bead wire 12 constituting the main parts of the bottom support of the base or structure. v

'Asconcerns the bottom, proper, of the box, it is to be noted that it can be made in any of the well known ways. It may be either closed, that is made of one or more approximately continuous sections of sheet metal; or it may be open, that is to say,

made of wires or rods for the bottles or vessels to rest upon,'these to be securedin any suitable manner. 1 r

What I claim is V 1. In a sheet metal box of the class described, the combination of end walls and side walls crimped together at their vertical edges, the walls being shaped at their upper edges to provide an outward projecting bead around the to'pof the box andto form an inward pro ecting stiife'ning'and supportingflange below the said bead, and being shaped at their lower edges to provide an outward pro ect1ng box supporting flange around the bottom of the box in vertical lines below the said bead, a downward projecting stacking flange at the bottom of the box positioned along lines within the said supporting flange, supplemental vertical pillar-like angle shaped reinforcing bars secured to the outer sides of the corners of the box, and engaging with the under side of the top bead and with the upper side of the bottom flange and inclosing the corner crimps, and supplemental vertical angle shaped reinforcing bars at the inner sides of the corners of the box, each extending to the bottom of the box and bearing against the under side of the said inward projecting flange near the top of the box, the said supplemental reinforcing bars at the outer and inner sides of the corners serving to strengthen the corners and to support the &

said bead and the said flanges against distortion when the box is subjected to pressure along vertical lines.

2. In a sheet metal box of the class de scribed, the combination of end walls and side walls crimped together at their vertical edges, a bottom structure secured to the side and end Walls, and vertical reinforcing bars secured to the inner sides of the box corners, the bars being angle shaped in horizontal cross section, and bent between their ends to form horizontal inward projecting shelves.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

GOTTLIEB KLENK.

Witnesses C. C. HOFFMAN, HENRY NEWBEGIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. r 

